Shallow M4.7 Earthquake struck on Friday Evening in the North Pacific Ocean 63mi from Eureka (The United States).

Written by Earthquakelist.org on August 29th, 2026. Last updated September 21st, 2026.

In the evening of Friday August 28th, 2026, a shallow M4.7 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 63 miles from Eureka, The United States. The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake.

Earthquake Summary

This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 62 miles (100 km) off the coast of The United States, 63 miles southwest of Eureka in California. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 6 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Aug 28, 2026 07:41PM (Los Angeles Time) - Aug 29, 2026 02:41 Universal Time.
Location:	63 mi SW of Eureka, California, The United States. Coordinates 40°27'0"N 125°16'20"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 4.7 Detected by 30 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.3 .
Depth:	6 mi (10 km) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Potential tsunami risk The USGS has indicated there is a potential risk at tsunami's following this earthquake. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Potential tsunami risk

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

There is a potential tsunami risk in the aftermath of this earthquake, immediately evacuate to higher grounds away from coastal areas and monitor advice from local authorities. The US Geographic Survey organization has indicated a potential risk for tsunami's following this earthquake.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Factor	Under Sea?	MAG-6.5 or stronger?	Shallow depth?
Explanation	Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami.	Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's.	Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor.
This Earthquake	This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 4.7. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 6 mi (10 km). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 95% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Not many people felt this earthquake

MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
I	Not noticable	None
II	Very weak	None
III	Weak	Probably none
IV	Light	Likely none
V	Moderate	Very light
VI	Strong	Light
VII	Very Strong	Moderate
VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
IX	Violent	Heavy
X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The United States . Eureka in California, The United States is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 63 miles (101 km) southwest of Eureka. The intensity of shaking and damage in Eureka is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
63 mi (101 km) NE from epicenter	Eureka California, The United States.	III Weak
69 mi (111 km) NE from epicenter	Arcata California, The United States.	II Weak
69 mi (111 km) NE from epicenter	Bayside California, The United States.	II Weak
70 mi (113 km) NE from epicenter	McKinleyville California, The United States.	II Weak
142 mi (228 km) SE from epicenter	Ukiah California, The United States.	I Not felt
152 mi (244 km) E from epicenter	Redding California, The United States.
170 mi (274 km) NE from epicenter	Grants Pass Oregon, The United States.
175 mi (281 km) SE from epicenter	Clearlake California, The United States.
180 mi (289 km) NE from epicenter	Medford Oregon, The United States.
180 mi (289 km) NE from epicenter	Ashland Oregon, The United States.
181 mi (291 km) NE from epicenter	Central Point Oregon, The United States.
186 mi (299 km) SE from epicenter	Windsor California, The United States.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is III. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

3 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 3 smaller aftershocks were detected. A 4.4 magnitude earthquake hit 2 days later 62 mi (100 km) west of this earthquake.

In the days before this main shock, 3 smaller foreshocks were detected. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 5 hrs earlier. It measured a magnitude of 2.8

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Foreshock	M 2.8	2 days earlier Aug 26, 2026 12:44PM (Los Angeles Time)	39 mi (64 km) NE from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 2.7	5 hrs earlier Aug 28, 2026 02:18PM (Los Angeles Time)	19 mi (30 km) E from Main Shock.
Foreshock	M 2.8	5 hrs earlier Aug 28, 2026 02:24PM (Los Angeles Time)	19 mi (30 km) SE from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 4.7	Aug 28, 2026 07:41PM (Los Angeles Time)	-
Aftershock	M 2.7	15 hrs later Aug 29, 2026 10:12AM (Los Angeles Time)	2 mi (3 km) S from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 4.4	2 days later Aug 31, 2026 01:36AM (Los Angeles Time)	62 mi (100 km) W from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.6	3 days later Aug 31, 2026 11:00AM (Los Angeles Time)	10 mi (17 km) W from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since August 6th, 2026, when a 4.9 magnitude earthquake hit 140 mi (225 km) further north. An even stronger magnitude 7 earthquake struck on December 5th, 2024.

In total, 54 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.7 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 2 months.

Sources

Last updated 21/09/26 00:28 (). As more information on this earthquake becomes available this article will be updated. This article is automatically composed based on data originating from multiple sources.